Letting out a quiet sigh, Marcus leans back, "I know I would rather be dead than beholden to the Enclave, but I don't speak for the people of Ny City, and I'm not one of the parents who will be risking their children's lives if we enter into open warfare against them here in the city." Marcus lowers his gaze to the floor, shaking his head, adding, "It definitely isn't best for me." Then looking up at the others gathered in the room, his eyes glistening, "But it may be the best for Ny City."

Jim smiles at Hondo's comments with a look on his face that clearly says 'gotcha'. "The Brotherhood would come to defend the Vault itself, not just the information within it. The primary goal of the Brotherhood is the preservation of pre-war tech. This whole Vault is pre-war tech. The only way they'd leave is if the Vault was destroyed, and we would fight to the death to protect it. Once the Brotherhood arrives, we'll set about fortifying and entrenching the whole area; nothing short of a nuclear strike will move us." He pauses and looks around the room at the assembled faces. "I'd sooner throw myself onto the Enclave's guns than see them defile this place." It's only now that you finally see it; it's as if you understand Jim and his fellows for the first time since you've met them. Technology is his religion. His tool belt is his crucifix, and the Vault is his church.

Logged

VAO Control; Crafty Freelancer; Freethinker

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

Leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over her armored chest, Alice looked at Marcus and the mayor with a malicious smirk. "Are the people of Ny City willing to face the risks of being under the thumb of the Enclave?"

She let the question hang in the air for a moment. "Either way people will die. Better to die in battle or in 'experiments' that would made a mirelurk puke?"

Hondo scratches absently at his neck. "Jim's sold me. I say we get with the Brotherhood and fuck the Enclave. Some time down the road, if the Enclave starts making noise again, then joining or not can get talked about again. Gettin' with the Brotherhood now buys Empire the time to think about what to do next."

"Speaking of which, Empire should send some guys out to the other factions in the city. The Rangers or the PD, and whoever else is trying to live as a group, ought to get visited and offered a chance to come in. I wish we could contact those fucks stuck in Liberty..."

The mayor sighs deeply, slouching back in his chair. He closes his eyes, obviously deep in thought for a few moments. Finally, he opens his eyes and says "Work up a list of supplies; I assume i'm right in thinking that it's a long walk to West Point." Jim smiles firmly. "I'll transfer our maps to their pip-boys." The mayor nods his approval. "Sheriff? See to their requests please. I want them underway before nightfall."

(click to show/hide)

MISSIONCaliber V (Ny City falls to the Enclave, shifting the balance of power for the whole east coast)Threat Level 4

At this stage you may voluntarily increase the TL by up to 2 if you wish.

OBJECTIVES:Bring the BoS into the conflict on the side of the Empire State Republic (Recruit 5) 125XPDefend the Empire State Republic against the coming Enclave attack (Defend 5) 125XP

Logged

VAO Control; Crafty Freelancer; Freethinker

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

Marcus adds, "I am doing all right on medical supplies. If we have any water purification tablet available we can do with carrying less water and travel a little lights. We are crossing a marsh, so water should be easy to find, I just don't want to drink it straight. Also, we may some use for Rad-X in case we run into any hidden pockets of radiation."

Jim lays a faded map out on the table in front of you all, showing old New York State. The course of the Hudson Swamp’s tepid flow has been marked on the map with a thick red marker pen. All along the east bank, red ‘X’s mark the approximate position of known survivor communities, along with the Tappan Zee Bridge and your eventual destination of West Point itself.

“The trip on foot takes three or four days, and that’s if you walk for eight to ten hours a day, you know the route and there are no issues. With things as they are, it could take up to a week on foot. Ideally, what we need is a boat with a working motor. A raft or rowing boat is frankly too vulnerable to attack, and as you approach the Tappan Zee Bridge, the swamp clears some and the currents get pretty strong.”

At this point, Jim starts picking out key features on the map. “Yonkers has a big settlement based around a large industrial estate. There must be close on two-hundred people there, and they’re pretty friendly if you don’t mean any harm. Hastings-on-Hudson and Dobbs Ferry are both pretty much gone; they’re just hollowed-out ruins, but there are a tiny handful of people living in both, no more than twenty between the two, I’d say. Next is Irvington; it looks like it weathered the years pretty good, but that’s because most of the buildings are made of bricks instead of wood. That said, it’s been looted to hell and back by the folks at Tarrytown, and the only people you’ll find there are Tarrytown scavengers picking over the ruins.”

Next, he points at the line across the swamp marked as ‘T-Z’. “The Tappan Zee Bridge is sealed off at both ends, and its home to a pretty prosperous community. Outsiders can trade and stay in nearby Tarrytown on the east bank, and there’s some pretty good scavenged tech you can trade for if you’re interested. After that, you’re almost home free. You pass the lighthouse at Sleepy Hollow – there’s a big family living in the lighthouse, by the way – then on through Croton-on-Hudson which is, again, pretty much ruins.”

“Your last big stop is here.” He points to two of the ‘X’s that are farthest north. “Cortlandt and Haverstraw have big communities, relatively speaking, of about fifty each. They’re also at war with each other over some sort of blood feud that kicked off two generations ago. Avoid, if possible, or you’ll get tangled up in local politics and never escape. Last of all you pass through Buchanan, and pretty quickly if possible. The old nuclear plant is leaking all over the place, and the area is overrun with ghouls. A couple are kinda talkative, but their friends not so much. Then onto West Point at the bend in the river.”

He shrugs, giving you an obviously fake happy smile. “Nothing to it.”

« Last Edit: September 04, 2012, 05:42:49 AM by glimmerrat »

Logged

VAO Control; Crafty Freelancer; Freethinker

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

Marcus looks down at his wrist for a moment before shaking his head and sighing. "Unfortunately, I really don't have much of value to use in trade except my Pip-Boy. But if that will get us a boat to get there and back again soon enough to save Ny City, it'll be worth it."

Alice leaned back in her chair and ran her right hand through her hair. "A'ight, we'll skip the haunted carrier and hit the river around Yonkers. We can see about this haunted carrier after we've kick the Enclave's ass."